Hermippus

Hermippus (died 431 BC) was an Athenian writer of the Old Comedy during the 5th century BC.

Biography
Hermippus was the son of Lysis and the brother of Myrtilus, and he wrote forty plays in the Old Comedy style. Hermippus became a member of the Cult of Kosmos and became a strong and influential supporter of the demagogue Cleon, using his plays to influence the Athenians and accuse Athenian leader Pericles of weakness and cowardice. He accused Pericles, in the Moirai, of being a bully and a coward, and of carousing with his close friends while the Spartans were invading Attica. Hermippus also accused Aspasia of impiety and offenses against morality, and her acquittal was onlly secured after Pericles wept. In 431 BC, he was invited to Pericles' symposium, during which he argued with Protagoras about Cleon, with Hermippus calling him the "champion of the people".